Shadow a Current College Freshman!

Hey y'all!
Choosing a college is one of the most difficult, important decisions you will ever make. Although you'll have fun and be challenged no matter where you go (every experience is what you make it!), picking a school that best fits your wants from college is essential and can really make a difference.

But sometimes it's hard to make that decision when you don't really know what a certain university is all about — what is the dynamic behind the classes, the people, and the parties? That's why, if it's financially manageable, staying on campus overnight with a current student is a great idea.

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This past weekend I had a family friend's daughter, Anna, come stay with me in my dorm to check out Duke life to help her decide if she wanted to apply Early Decision in December. She met with a professor, went to a class in global health, and hung out with the students in my dorm. By literally living on campus for a couple of days, she was able to see the ins and outs of Duke — a top-notch "work hard, play hard" university with its share of great (the intellectual community and friendly student body!) and not-so-great (the freshman meal plan!) qualities.

anna and a boy

When looking at colleges, disregard the stereotypes you've heard about a school and the expectations you've created, and plan a trip to stay with a current student to check the university out for yourself. In fact, most schools have programs that will match prospective students with current students for a weekend. From my experience, your beliefs about a school can dramatically shift by visiting, so don't let your beliefs about a university be shaped by only Atlantic Journal articles and U.S. News and World Report rankings! As for Anna, I hope that she could see herself at Duke, but if not, I'm sure that visiting campus helped make her decision much easier.

In addition to traditional college tours, have you thought about shadowing a current student? If you've already done it, did it help you make your decision easier? Sound off in the comments!